JEDDAH, 10 March 2003 — Job seekers rubbed shoulders with their prospective employers on Saturday at the start of an interactive five-day get-together organized by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Human Resource Center.

More than 600 Saudi high school graduates and students graduating this year attended the opening session, where more than 80 companies were represented.

Job seekers were offered positions as receptionists, executive secretaries and sales representatives.

The session, which offers employers an opportunity to interview and select trainees, “is a major step in our ongoing campaign for Saudization,” Professor Anwar H. Mufti, assistant secretary-general for training and information technology at JCCI, told Arab News.

Selected students will attend theory classes at the chamber’s National System for Joint Training (NSJT) and will subsequently receive on-the-job training by the employer, he said.

“Students will receive a stipend of SR1,000 a month during training, the cost of which is shared by government and employer. On completion the candidate is taken on by the employer and given a salary,” Mufti said.

“The training period is between one and two years depending on the job,” he said.

NSJT represents a unique and flexible training system, which aims to prepare Saudi youth for specific jobs that meet the current needs of the labor market, according to Mufti. The General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training (GOTEVOT), the Human Resources Development Fund and the Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry are jointly responsible for NSJT’s training programs.

“The project symbolizes the working cooperation between the private sector and educational and training institutions. It also activates the role of the private sector and encourages employers to direct their investment toward national manpower,” he said.

Dr. Hassan Badrek, who runs two polyclinics in Jeddah, said he was on the look-out for two receptionist. “I interviewed some students but they had reservations about working in two shifts. But I’m hopeful that I’ll get my trainees during the remaining days of the session,” he said, adding that selected students would undergo practical training for nine months.

“I came here with some of my schoolmates,” said high school student Abdul Karim, 17. “I have spoken to some employers and am tempted to accept the job of a salesman because I like outdoor work.”